170SE vs 340 classic

[lordpnats]

Hi there. I am on the waiting list for 170SEs all around with a 340SE center, but have a question(and second thoughts). Is the tweeter on the SEs really so much better than the older models to warrent going with 170SEs for mains over some used or b-stock 340 classics? My room is only around 1700 ft3 and I'm going to be running an IB along with whatever speakers I get. I would hate to get 340 classics and have the different tweeters throw off the matching of the front sound field, and don't know if the extra extension would be of any good whatsoever with such a high quality sub involved.

[lordpnats]

Well, I just saw the measurements for the 170SEs and it looks like the low end extension is pretty close to that of the 340 classics, so perhaps this was a pointless thread .

[Spaulding]

As a newbie to these graphs and speakers in general, are you saying that the 170SE will be comparable if not better than the classic 340? Just trying to figure out if that is what these graphs are showing...

[lordpnats]

If you take a gander at the graphs, you can see that the points at which the response is -3db and -6db for the 170SEs appear to be pretty close to those of the 340 classics. Couple that with less distortion from the upgraded tweeters and it looks to me like the 170SEs would be the better choice. That being said, I am not an expert on the matter of measuring speakers or analysing the measurements that others have made, so please don't take anything I say as canon.

Edit: I also have a small room of around 1700 ft3, so I don't really need the added SPL from the 340s, which can play louder with less distortion than the 170s.

[Quinn]

That would depend on how much better the new drivers are. The way Dave presently explains the basic difference in the "classic" versions is the 340 has half the distortion at the same volume as the the 170 or it can play twice as loud before it reaches the same distortion level.

[lei@forum]

and don't forget the fact that 340s are 3db more sensitive than 170s.